Best Indian schools in Dubai: CBSE and International

Introduction

Dubai has become one of the world’s leading hubs for trade and business with professionals across the world flocking to Dubai for work. Indian population in Dubai as of 2023 is 1.5 million out of the total population that is 3.7 million. 

This vastIndian expatriate communityin Dubai needs a strong network of good Indian schools. Indian schools provide quality education and all-round development for their children, while  helping the children stay connected to their Indian roots.

Thankfully for all you Indian parents in Dubai, you have a good selection of Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum following schools to choose from. This blog will take you through the key reasons for choosing an Indian school, Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) rankings, and the best schools for Indians in Dubai. 

Reasons to choose an Indian school in Dubai

Choosing Indian schools for your children gives your children the continuity of their education in India. Most of the Indian schools in Dubai follow the curriculum set by the CBSE. CBSE is recognised by Indian universities, giving a continuity to their education if they choose to study in India. 

The Indian schools with their diverse study body and with their connection to Indian cultural values make the children comfortable while providing them with exposure to different perspectives and culture. Indian schools also ensure a well-balanced education focusing on academics, and extracurricular activities. Reputable Indian schools maintain high academic standards, and ensure that the quality of education is comparable to that of India. 

Dubai’s growing economy and emerging fields like technology and business provide good career opportunities for students graduating from Indian schools. 

KHDA Ratings and why to consider them

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is a regulatory authority for education in Dubai. It inspects the schools on several parameters and uses a five-point rating scale to evaluate them. The KHDA report is an overview of the schools strengths, weaknesses and their success stories. 

The KHDA inspection evaluates the school on their effectiveness, learning environment, achievement of students, self-evaluation process of schools, and their focus on Islamic education, English, Maths & sciences, and Arabic. Based on these evaluation parameters KHDA rates the schools on a five point grading scale: outstanding, very good, good, acceptable and unsatisfactory.   

Considering the KHDA ratings while selecting a school for your child will ensure that you are selecting the best possible option for your children.

Admission process for Indian Schools in Dubai 

The admission process for Indian schools in Dubai follows the standard four-step process: an application, assessment, interview and fee payment. 

The documents required of the child for securing admission are passport, birth certificate, residence visa (for expats), immunization record and Emirates ID card. Documents required from the parents are their passport and residence visa (for expats). 

The age limit for admissions into the first year of kindergarten is at least 4 years old, and for the second year, it is at least 5 years old. The age limit for Grade 1 students is 6 to 8 years old. 

Indian ICSE Schools in Dubai

Below are some of the good schools in Dubai that follow the ICSE curriculum. The fees written are the yearly fees. 

Gems Modern Academy:

Gems Modern Academy in Nad Al Sheba is one of the best ICSE schools in Dubai. The school offers classes all the way from Pre-KG through to Grade XII.

Gems Modern Academy has facilities such as a library with a good selection of books, a sensorial garden, ICT suites, a garden for meditation, Budhyana – The Spark Lab, a STEM lab and Makers Space Innovation Centre.

Gems Modern Academy follows the trend set by all GEMS schools located in Dubai as it has great sports facilities for the students. There are swimming pools, football fields, gyms, cricket grounds, basketball courts and a hall which is used for multiple purposes.

KHDA has rated Gems Modern Academy as ‘Outstanding’, with the fees ranging from AED 29,505 to AED 70,351, it is among the more expensive Indian schools in Dubai.

Link to the website:  https://www.gemsmodernacademy-dubai.com

JSS International School:

JSS International School, located in Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC), has classes from the Pre-KG level till Grade XII. JSS International School aims not only to prepare their students academically but also to develop them on personal fronts and ingrain the virtue of professionalism in them at an early age so as to allow them to be successful in their careers.

JSS International School believes in activity-based learning and has a campus with every modern facility and staff who are truly dedicated to the students. JSS International School has science labs, an IT lab, a project room, a counselling centre and a library that is well stocked with books, apart from state-of-the-art lecture halls and an auditorium. The school additionally provides a transportation facility to students at nominal rates.

KHDA has rated JSS International School ‘Outstanding’, with their fees ranging from AED 15,150 to AED 39,532.

Link to the website: https://jssisdubai.com

Ambassador School:

Ambassador School in Mankhool, Bur Dubai, was established in 2010. The school has grades from Pre-KG through to Grade XII, and with its values of “Inspire, Inquire and Innovate”, aims to make its students responsible members of society.

The school campus has a swimming pool, sports courts, separately demarcated recreation and play areas, and a modern auditorium. The school encourages the students towards literature and to this end has provided them with a library with a significant number of titles.

The KHDA rating for Ambassador School is ‘Good’ and the fees range from AED 17,134 to AED 43,558.

Link to the website: https://www.ambassadorschool.com

Indian CBSE schools in Dubai 

Following are some of the schools following the CBSE curriculum. The fees written below are the yearly fees. 

The Indian High School (IHS)

The Indian High School, founded in 1961, is one of the first schools opened in Dubai for the children of the expatriate community. The Indian High School has 3 campuses in Dubai: Dubai Silicon Oasis, Oud Metha and Al Garhoud. 

The Indian High School campus in Al Garhoud has grades of KG to Grade IV, and the Indian High School campus at Metha has classes for students in grades V to XII.

The Indian High Schools focus on the health and well-being of the students along with education and come equipped with excellent facilities for sports and extra-curricular activities such as reading corners, recess radio, kidzy labs and techno-vacation hub.

The Indian International School located at Dubai Silicon Oasis offers classes in grades KG to Grade X and comes equipped with numerous facilities such as a gym, yoga room, swimming pool, football field, basketball court, table tennis facilities, play area for KG students, an auditorium and their own library.

KHDA has rated the campus at Oud Metha ‘Very Good’ and the campus at Al Garhoud ‘Good’. The fees for the Al Garhoud and Oud Metha schools range from AED 5,525 to AED 21,000 and for the DSO school, the fees are between AED 14,290 and AED 21,000.

Link to the website: https://ihsdubai.org

Delhi Private School

Delhi Private School, Dubai, located in Jebel Ali, was established in 2003. It is a co-educational school offering classes from KG all the way to Grade XII, catering to the requirement of Indian parents located in the areas of The Gardens, Al Furjan and Discovery Gardens for a school providing quality education, and charging low fees.

Delhi Private School has a huge campus that is segregated into 5 distinct blocks as per the grades and also includes a sports complex block with a swimming pool, basketball court, volleyball court, table tennis room, auditorium and multi-purpose hall. The Delhi Private School campus also has a cricket field, cafeteria, two clinics, three computer labs, language labs, and a lab for mathematics, chemistry, and physics.

The KHDA rating for Delhi Private School is ‘Very Good’ with the fees range from AED 10,833 to AED 15,234.

Link to the website: https://website.dpsdubai.com

Primus Private School 

Primus Private School, located in Al Warqa and established in 2009, is a very popular Indian school located in Dubai, offering classes from KG to Grade XII. Apart from academics, the school focuses on developing essential skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, creativity and collaboration.
Primus Private School has a number of facilities on their campus such as a football field, two swimming pools, an indoor sports area with table tennis boards, dedicated labs for computers and science, an auditorium, music rooms, a library, a play area and rumpus room for KG students.

KHDA has rated Primus Private School as ‘Good’, and the fees range from AED 9,638 to AED 22,731.

Link to the website: https://primusschool.sch.ae

Other Schools

There are a number of other good schools for Indian students in Dubai. Their details are tabulated below:

Conclusion

As you have just seen, there are a number of Indian schools following the Indian curriculum of ICSE, CBSE and even the Kerala State Board in Dubai. The fees in these schools are in different ranges. Nearly all of the schools have very good facilities for their students and tend to be rated quite high by the KHDA. Check the facilities offered by the different schools, their results and the KHDA rating before you decide on which schools you would like to approach for admission for your children.